Music Printing History

The history of music printing is a fascinating subject that is almost never mentioned in the halls of academia or among professional musicians let alone among the general public. Music printing is an art that faces extinction, and it has been the goal of this website's author to keep this art or at least the history of it alive. The techniques used for printing music in the Western world have varied throughout time. Although the methods and techniques overlap in history, and some methods were used in conjunction with each other, they are none the less presented in the order that were developed for printing music. I hope you enjoy the museum!

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Walton Music Typewriter

c. 1923

The Reverend J. Walton invented a music typewriter which came to be known as the Walton Music Typewriter. It was manufactured by The Music Typewriter Co. around or before 1923. The company was located in Hatton Wall in London. The machine was capable of drawing the staves, print musical symbols, and text. It required no expertise.

Musicwriter

1946

The Musicwriter is a typewriter that was used to print music. It was invented by Cecil S. Effinger, a noted choral composer, music professor, and inventor. It eventually sold around the world. Working with various manufacturers, Mr. Effinger was able to produce over five thousand Musicwriters from 1956 to 1990.